


How to Exact Revenge on All Those Who Have Forsaken You (A Guide to Romance) by Nico di Angelo

by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Gen, He'll try his best for Will tho, I just love Solangelo very much, M/M, Nico is bad at emotions, Nico is trying his best, but he's a disaster so like, idk - Freeform, y'all I'm sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-07-20 16:07:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19994977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaffeinatedFlumadiddle/pseuds/CaffeinatedFlumadiddle
Summary: “Why, of all people, did you come to me for help?”“Because if anyone knows anything about dating someone out of their league… It’s you.” Nico said and Percy gasped, pointing his toothbrush at him threateningly as he wrinkled his nose in offense. Nico shrugged and continued kicking a blanket Percy had left on the floor of his cabin.“You’re right… But that was still mean.” Percy muttered and trudged back to the bathroom to rinse. “And for the record!” He shouted “Just because I’m dating Annabeth doesn’t mean I know how I did it!” He called. Nico groaned.OrAphrodite doesn't think Nico is going to make a very good boyfriend. Nico will prove her wrong even if it means dying in the middle of a pile of Valentine chocolates.





	1. Step 1: Finding both an Enemy and a Beau

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just love solangelo y'all. Here's a fic of Nico trying his best. Also, she isn't in this chapter but Reyna will be here very soon.

Nico was doing this.

Totally. Going a hundred percent in. Yes, sir. He was going to do this and it was going to be so great. Yep.

Gods, was he _seriously_ about to do this?

The very thought of it made Nico’s entire body freeze with fear, gut twisting and hands clenching. Could he _really_ even do this? Was this even…Could he…Taking a heaving breath, Nico tried to get himself together. It would be _fine_. He could do this. It wasn’t that big of a deal. It was just to one person. It was fine. This was fine.

He was definitely going to die...But on the other hand, when wasn’t he about to die? Nodding to that logic, Nico stood up, keeping his gaze straight forward as he marched towards the infirmary. He had made it about three steps out of his cabin was Jason magically appeared next to him, bounding with excitement.

“Nico! I was wondering if-”

“No.” Nico shook his head “I’m going to do it.” He announced and Jason frowned, blue eyes puzzled as he lengthened he strike to keep up with Nico.

“It?” He asked and Nico nodded, not bothering to further his explanation as he continued walking forward, not even breaking stride when Percy popped up next with a wave at the pair.

“Hey, you guys want to-”

“No.” Nico said firmly and Percy blinked, looking in confusion between Nico and Jason, who was still trailing behind.

“He’s going to do it.” Jason explained.

“Do what?”

Jason only shrugged and Percy rose his eyebrows, falling in line with the other boy. Nico continued his walk of determination, trying to keep his emotions in check.

Finally, _finally_ they got into the infirmary, Nico slamming the door open with a loud clacking sound. Jason and Percy followed him into the room, a small gasp of realization from Jason following a few moments later.

“Dude! He’s going to do _it_!” He whispered excitedly and Percy stared blankly as he looked around.

“He’s…going to do who?”

“Will!”

“Dear gods, should we be here?”

“No, bro, he’s going to _tell Will_.” Jason hissed and there was a gasp of realization from the other demigod. Nico sighed. Idiots. Still, he knew if he turned around to tell them to leave that he would use it as an excuse to not go through with his plan.

Will was sitting at the back of the room, currently pouring over some sort of form or another, scribbling something probably doctor-y down as he yawned, musing up his hair in a ridiculously attractive way as he did so. It was truly unfair and Nico resented how natural he looked in this environment. He supposed Will was just the sort of person to melt into any situation with ease. Unlike Nico, it felt like Will could belong anywhere.

“Solace.” He said, clearing his throat and Will’s eyes snapped up to him.

“Oh, hey Nico!” He grinned, immediately putting his pen down. “I just was thinking about you. Do you-”

“I need to tell you something.” Nico interrupted and Will paused, his eyes roaming from Nico to Jason and Percy, who were watching in the background while splitting a bag of blue skittles that Percy had hidden in his sweatshirt pocket.

“Um, sure thing doom-and-gloom.” Will said slowly, turning his gaze back to Nico with a small smile. Nico stared at for a moment. Was Will _supposed_ to look at him like that? For a second, his voice betrayed him, disappearing into a void of uncertainty and fear. Perhaps Will sensed this though, because he got up and walked around the desk. For a moment Nico wondered if he was just going to leave, but all he did was move so he was leaning against the front of it, eye level with Nico.

“It’s okay.” He said gently and Nico quickly grasped onto the moment of strength those words gave him and took a deep breath.

“I’m gay.” He blurted out and from behind him, he heard Percy gave a quiet cheer as Jason clapped. He ignored them.

Will’s expression didn’t change for a moment, he simply looked at Nico before nodded, his face breaking into a smile.

“Good.” He said and Nico stared.

“Good?” He asked.

“Good.” Will reiterated and Nico nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Yeah…” He agreed “Good.” There was another pause “So…Why good?”

Will laughed, but did nothing to offer an actual answer.

“We can talk about it more if you want…Or if you don’t do you want to go get some McDonalds? I have a craving and you’re the only one who can shadow travel us there without Chiron noticing.” He said, which was a little suspicious because as far as Nico could tell, Will-the-health-nut had only eaten kale salads since brought into this world and seemed to believe a single french fry was going to take him out. Not to mention he wasn't a fan of Nico shadow traveling so the entire situation just seemed wildly unrealistic.

Still. Nico wasn't a fool. He knew how to take advantage of a rare situation.

“McDonalds.” He nodded and walked over, a little bit unsure of how to proceed. Was he supposed to grab his arm? His waist? Did Will care? He said _good_ so did that mean he was okay with Nico touching him?

“Get me some chicken nuggets.” Percy called out as Will solved the dilemma by grabbing his hand. Nico felt his stomach do the twist thing again, but allowed himself a moment of glory to flick both his annoying-ass friends off before shadow traveling away. “With extra sauce!” Percy shouted after them.

"And a McFlurry!" Jason's voice yelled as everything else faded away "The M&M one!"

Yeah. Nico wasn't going to do that. He _did_ buy Will his cheeseburger and laugh in his face when he put it down after one bite and requested a salad instead.

* * *

So how was this supposed to work? Did Nico do it? Or did he wait for Will? Was there some sort of…Like… Ritual or something? Nico honestly had no idea. He wasn’t even sure if this was a real _thing_.

Like…Nico was 99.9999% sure he _really_ wanted to date Will Solace. He was 100% sure that he would rather tie himself to Hera and listen to her whine about Zeus all day then go through the steps to get there.

There was also the fact he didn’t know if _Will_ wanted to date _him_.

After all, Will was funny (sometimes) and had a ridiculously nice smile and was someone who was easy to talk to (if _Nico_ admitted that, it must be true). He could see how Will could have a number of people he could date. Boys _or_ girls, as one of the Apollo campers informed him. The thought stressed Nico out more than he could say. If his hopes were slim before, now he had double the competition. Horrible. Nico didn't deserve for his love life to be tougher than taking out Gaea.

Maybe the friend thing was better. While Nico would never admit it, he _did_ like spending time with Will. It would suck if he made things awkward because of something silly like a….you know. _That_.

It was decided then. If Nico wanted to even _consider_ doing the unthinkable deed, he would first have to learn if Will even _liked_ him...And unfortunately there was only one person who Nico knew that could help with that. He just hoped she wasn't annoying about it.

“So let me get this straight,” Piper started, clapping her hands together before gesturing to where Nico was trying not to die in middle of the Aphrodite cabin. Honestly, breathing in that much perfume could _not_ be good for your health. “You’re not.”

“Hilarious. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that before.” Nico scowled as Piper offered a disgustingly sweet smile as she tucked her legs underneath her.

“Sorry, sorry." She said though he got the feeling she wasn't. Nico wondered if Jason had already told her. Piper didn't seem very surprised - then again, she was the of Aphrodite so maybe she just knew. Nico wrinkled his nose at the thought. After his _last_ discussion with a child of Aphrodite about his love life...It was taking him a lot of willpower to bring himself here. He hoped Piper actually had something good to say. "So you have no idea if Will likes you?”

“Do you even listen?”

“Hey. You came to _me_ for help. Be nice.” She scolded and tapped her lip thoughtfully. “I mean, you _could_ just ask him.” She started, but paused at Nico’s face “….but you’re not going to do that.” She rolled her eyes. “Hmm…So I have a plan.” She said, twirling a strand of hair thoughtfully. Nico rolled his eyes.

“That is why I came here.”

“You’re not going to like it.”

“I assumed that upon entering your cabin, Piper.” Nico sighed and tried to ignore the twinge of fear that ate at him as her smiled grew.

* * *

“So,” Nico said as he watched Piper attempt to balance Katroptis on one finger “I kind of was under the assumption you were going to at least tell me what the plan was.”

“You were under the wrong assumption.”

“I see that now.”

“I’m glad.” Piper said, and before Nico could respond was greeted by Annabeth, Percy, and Jason all flopping on the ground next to where Piper and Nico had been sitting in the grass. He froze. Why were they here? Eyes widening, he shot Piper a panicked look, but her smile was so reassuring he almost believed that she wasn't betraying him.

“Hazel, Frank, and Leo will be here in a second.” Annabeth offered at greeting, fingers interlaced with Percy's “They all think it is a really good plan."

“Wait a second!” Nico yelped from his place on the blanket Piper had spread out over the bank near the lake “You _told_ them? And why do _they_ get to know the plan?” He demanded and Piper shrugged.

“Well everyone knows you like Will and Will likes you. They just want to see it official.”

“The whole point of this is that I _don’t_ know if Will-”

“Oh, he definitely does.” Annabeth interjected “Don’t worry about that.” She assured him and Nico stared at them all. He had the worst friends. Where was Reyna? He knew if Frank was here that mean Reyna was probably at Camp Jupiter, but he desperately wanted to see her in these moments. She would never betray him like this.

“You…Then why didn’t you just tell me that? Why is there even a plan?” Nico asked, irritation growing.

“I don’t get the plan.” Percy complained.

“It’s a good plan! And you wouldn't have done anything if I told you he _did._ ” Piper defended and Percy looked at Jason expectantly who glanced between his girlfriend and the son of Poseidon.

“I kind of don’t get it either.” He admitted and both girls rolled their eyes.

"We're just providing an...Opportunity for Nico and Will to have some time together." Piper shrugged, moving so she was next to Annabeth.

Nico wondered why he ever thought this was a good idea in the first place. Maybe he should escape while he still could. Unfortunately, it appeared he was too late, seeing as Will himself was walking up to them. Maybe Nico could shadow travel away.

“Hey guys.” He greeted them, and Nico took a moment to try and brace himself for whatever might happen next. Will looked at ease enough, wearing his jeans and a sweatshirt, his hair pushed back as he gave them a small wave.

“Hi Will!” Piper greeted and moved over so he could sit between her and Nico. Nico looked around, trying to get the gist of where this was going. “I’m surprised you came.” Piper said, though she didn’t sound incredibly surprised “Do you even like meteor showers – being a son of Apollo and all?”

…Meteor shower? Nico had forgotten there was supposed to be one tonight. It at least explained why they were sitting out in the middle of camp and not inside somewhere. He was still pretty confused as to how this related to the so-called ‘plan’.

“They’re alright.” Will shrugged “But the company sounded good so-”

“Yeah, yeah. Great. I have to go.” Piper said, standing up and brushing herself off. Nico blinked, but Will seemed unfazed, as did everyone else.

“Cool, see you later!” He bid her goodbye as Annabeth stood up as well.

“Sorry, I got to go too.” She said and looked over at Percy, who was too busy playing with a droplet of water to be paying attention. “Percy, we’re leaving now.” She said and the son of Poseidon glanced up.

“Oh. Right. See you guys later.” He smiled, brushing himself off and giving a small wave. Nico could see them all heading towards the other end of the camp where Frank, Hazel, and Leo were currently sitting in a different spot, patiently waiting for their friends.

“I actually-” Jason started, but Will was already waving goodbye, looking perfectly content by this very….weird turn of events.

Nico had no idea what to do.

“Guess it’s just us.” Will said and Nico tried to think of something to say. Was _that_ the plan? To just _leave him there to die_? Nico hoped the betrayal on his face was showing as he stared at them across the field. For a moment he met Percy’s eyes and could see a twinge of guilt as he shrugged helplessly and turned back to Annabeth.

He made a mental note to corner him later for vengeful purposes. Loyalty his fatal flaw? Bullshit. In another panicked moment of desperation he turned to look at Hazel, but his sister only smiled and waved at him, confirming his suspicion that she didn't love him anymore and was part of this conspiracy of hate that Piper had created.

“Yeah.” He said voice a little high as he turned to Will. He tried to hide his uneasiness of the situation. Piper and Annabeth _had_ said Will liked him. He assumed as children of love and wisdom, they should be reliable sources. “Um…Sorry everyone just….left.” He added and Will grinned, grabbing a basket of food that Piper left behind and pulling out a container of berries.

“Oh, I don’t mind. You're still here.” He said, popping the lid open and offering him a cherry. “Come on,” he coaxed “They’re good for you. Doctor’s orders.”

“Are you even a real doctor?” Nico mused, humoring him by picking out a cherry a popping it in his mouth “I don’t see a medical degree hanging on your wall.”

“You doubt my skills when I constantly bring you back from the brink of death?”

“I told you Solace, I _am_ death.”

“All the more impressive then.” Will laughed “I must have some talent though, because rumor is I am the only person in the infirmary that can treat you.” He added and Nico tensed slightly. He could feel his face beginning to flush, but fought it down furiously.

“You’re the…least irritating of your siblings.” He admitted and Will rose an eyebrow, but didn’t push the topic.

“Hm. I’m guessing that is the closest I’ll ever come to a compliment, isn’t it?” He asked and Nico shrugged, not really denying it. He supposed if he was _forced_ to, he could come up with a few more nice things to say, but he didn’t want to throw all his cards on the table just yet.

“I can’t believe she just left all this food here-” Will mused, unpacking more of the basket that Piper had left behind. He pulled out a series of food (which looked suspiciously like just enough for two) complete with shrimp jumbo, blue cookies, rice balls, and other snacks which Nico had no trouble identifying who picked what out.

“What!?” Will suddenly yelped “Holy Hephaestus, I used to _love_ this game.” Will told him excitedly and Nico peered over to see, with a slight horror, that he had a pulled out a pack of Mythomagic cards and was currently shifting through them. “Well…Sort of, whenever I found out I was demigod I begged my mom to buy it, but she could never get it for me.” He sighed and Nico frowned.

“Why not?”

“Hm? Oh. Well we were sort of always on the move. My mom was a singer – truly a disappointment to everyone that I have no musical abilities – and there isn't anyone to really play with when you're stuck on a tour bus all the time.” Will told him and Nico tried to not act interested as he watched him.

“Where did you live?”

“All over. My mom wasn't like... _Super_ famous or anything but we got to go to a lot of places. Mainly America because...It's country music, but occasionally other places like England or Brazil. We once even got to go to Italy." He mused, a small smile hinting at his face. "I always loved watching Italians rock out to alt-country." He added.

“I was born in Italy.” Nico informed him and Will paused his moving the cards around to peer over at him.

“Really?” he asked before nodding “That makes sense.”

“Does it?”

“Yeah. You kind of look Italian…plus that explains why you speak Italian in your sleep.”

Nico stared. He hadn’t known he had even _talked_ in his sleep.

“You were watching me sleep, Solace?” He joked instead and to his surprise, the older boy went a little red, turning away from slightly.

“I had to make sure you weren’t dying.” He muttered bashfully and Nico resisted the urge to smile.

“Well. For the record,I at least don’t recite medical facts in my sleep.” He commented and when Will shot him a bewildered look, chuckled “You always fell asleep at your desk in the infirmary while I was there.” He explained “I tried to wake you up once, but then you yelled at me to eat an apple or something and just went back to sleep.”

“That was a busy week.”

“Clearly.” Nico said, remembering the empty beds that had been around him. Will made a face, responding with putting a bit of whipped cream on his nose. Nico froze, slightly horrified by the turn of events as Will chortled.

“Why is it you look more terrified by white sugar on your nose, than the dead roaming around you?”

“The dead know their place – this whipped cream does not.” Will only smiled and proceeded to put a cherry on his head. “Why?”

“It’s fun.” Will shrugged, and Nico grabbed an apple, harnessing it like a weapon.

“Rumor has it this is your Achilles heel then.”

“Oh yes. As a rule all doctors are warned of all the dangers touching an apple.” Will chuckled and held his hands up in fake surrounded “Please, spare me, mighty ghost king.”

“Hmm…” Nico grinned and stroked a fake goatee “I may consider letting you live.”

“Whatever you want.” Will snickered and Nico almost stopped breathing. This was his chance. Holy _Hades_. From behind Will he could see the rest of his obnoxious friends pausing in their conversation to peer over at them, giving thumbs up in solidarity with this awful idea. Why were they still _here_? He was never going to Piper for advice ever again.

“Maybe, uh.” Nico stuttered and flushed “We could do this again sometime?” He managed to get out. Will’s smile remained, thank _gods_.

“Like a date?” He asked and Nico had to work hard to not completely crumble under the pressure and decided it was best to give a very weak nod. He was a son of literal death. Why was this so hard? “That would be awesome.” Will beamed at him.

Oh gods. Did it just happen? Did he just launch a successful operation of asking Will out?

Realizing he was still holding the apple he lowered his arm, trying to figure out what happened next after this. Will was watching him carefully, head tilted slightly to the side. Before Nico could think of what else to do the other boy leaned in and kissed him.

It wasn’t anything super long or romantic. More or less just a peck on the lips, but Nico was pretty sure his entire body stopped working. From somewhere in the distance he could have sworn he heard Jason screaming in approval.

“YOU DID IT PIPER!”

"Oh my gods - _Jason_ ," Annabeth's voice scolded "Let's go."

"Yeah, it's weird you're just watching them."

"I'm being supportive!" Jason objected and Nico tried to focus on Will instead of them.

“Thanks.” He breathed. No, no, no. Why did he say that? That was such a stupid thing to say. Holy Hephaestus _why_?

“You’re welcome.” Will told him easily and held up Mythomagic. “Rumor has it you know how to play...Are you going to teach me or not?”

* * *

“Why, of all people, did you come to me for help?”

“Because if anyone knows anything about dating someone out of their league… It’s you.” Nico said and Percy gasped, pointing his toothbrush at him threateningly as he wrinkled his nose in offense. Nico shrugged and continued kicking a blanket Percy had left on the floor of his cabin.

“You’re right… But that was still mean.” Percy muttered and trudged back to the bathroom to rinse. “And for the record!” He shouted “Just because I’m dating Annabeth doesn’t mean I know _how_ I did it!” He called. Nico groaned.

“Come on – you have to have some idea!” He whined “Should I defeat Kronos?”

“You know…I don’t think that’s what did it, Nico.” Percy called back and reappeared from the bathroom. “Okay. Give me some groundwork. What do you know about him?” He asked and Nico reeled back. He had figured there were just…Steps to follow. Not a whole personalized plan.

“Uh…”

“Nico. You kissed the guy. Please tell me you know _something_ about him.” Percy said and he groaned, flushing a little at the reminder. Damnit.

“I mean…He does all that doctor stuff,” He said quickly “And obviously he’s really good at archery because that’s like an Apollo thing…He’s also good a singing, but says he’s not which is kind of weird because I think he definitely is. He’s also smart. Like, he knows really weird things like what the difference is between alligators and crocodiles – oh, and he eats a lot of grapes for some reason-”

“I haven’t heard you talk this much since you were ten.” Percy noted. Nico froze, eyes narrowing a little. “What? Just an observation.” He smiled and sat on the edge of his bed, tapping a finger against his lips as he considered.

“Alright, so…You gave me absolutely nothing to work with, but the good news is you can shadow travel. Is there anywhere you think he would like to go?”

“You are asking very difficult questions."

“Dude,” Percy rolled his eyes “You can literally take him anywhere in the world...Within reason." He tacked on, probably thinking of all of Nico's mishaps with shadow traveling "You can’t think of _one_ place?”

Nico grimaced. Maybe this was too much effort. Did he really even _need_ a boyfriend? The answer was no, but he thought back to Will and almost screamed in frustration.

“I mean…He always talks about music festivals but there’s no way-” He began but Percy only nodded “I’m not going to a freaking music festival.”

“Yes, you are.” Percy told him with a click of his tongue “And you’re going to act like you _love_ it. Do you know how many architecture events I’ve been to? Too many.” He said with a shudder before raising his hands “Here’s the thing – if it’s important to him you just have to roll with it. Ask questions. That’ll make it more enjoyable.” He added as an afterthought.

“Will it?” Nico asked, a little uncertainly. Percy’s nod was so certain that he almost wanted to believe him.

“Alright. So, we got the place. Now you just after ask him out and make sure he knows it’s a date…Trust me. You have to clarify that.”

Nico wasn’t sure how Percy messed up asking a daughter of Athena out on a date and somehow confused her into thinking it was not one…but hey. It was Percy. He figured that was enough context.

“Then, at the end. You make your move.”

Nico waited. Percy stared.

“What’s my move?” He finally asked and Percy threw up his hands.

“I don’t know, man! It’s _your_ move.” He said and Nico was faced with the very real reality that he was going to mess this up somehow. Dear gods. He was done for.

“…For the love of Poseidon, dude. Just kiss him and ask if he wants to be your boyfriend.”

“Don’t use that word!” Nico yelped, throwing up his hands as if that would shield him from the nonsense this guy was spewing. Boyfriend. Ha. That is exactly what he wanted and not at all what he wanted to frame it as. “It’s…a…mutual understanding.”

Percy looked at him.

“You want to…Go up to the boy you like and ask if he would like to have a _mutual understanding_ with you?” He asked and winced “You are quite the romantic.” He said and Nico moaned, throwing himself on one of the empty bunks to wallow in self-pity. “Fine. Ask him if he wants to be _exclusive_ if you hate the word so much.” Percy scoffed and Nico glanced up from where he had been trying to suffocate himself in a pillow.

“…Exclusive?” He asked, warily “What does that mean?”

“Well…I think it’s pretty clear you guys _like_ each other. And have been spending time with one another…And are moving into more…A uh, mutual understanding area. Exclusive just means you do that with just each other only.”

Nico paused.

“…That isn’t what’s happening now?”

Percy’s face would have been funny if it didn’t terrify him so badly. What had he missed? _What was this exclusiveness?_

“Oh no,” The other boy sighed “Uh…Not really. Will could probably do that stuff with other people if you don’t talk about wanting to date _only_ him-”

“WHO THE HELL DATES MULTIPLE PEOPLE?!” Nico interrupted with a shout. Now, Nico had to deal with some pretty weird stuff having only spent four years in the modern world versus his ten years in the 1940s... To be clear, he wasn't knowledgeable about dating in the 1940s either - but he was pretty sure people didn't date more than one person at once back then. “That’s a _thing_? No. No it isn’t.” He said and looked over at Percy who shrugged helplessly “It _is_? Oh my gods…He probably likes someone else more!” He moaned. His life was truly a tragedy.

“Um,” Percy raised a hand “No. No, I don’t think he does. You guys are literally fifteen so I highly doubt he's dating multiple people…You’re just doing this as a formality because you don’t want to use the word boyfriend.” He said, but Nico was too deep in despair.

“He’s a son of Apollo. I should have known.”

“You’re going to play the parent card?” Percy asked, deeply unimpressed “Didn’t your dad like…Kidnap his wife?” He pointed out and Nico lifted his head “ _Do not kidnap Will_.” He added quickly. Nico scowled. The lack of trust was unbelievable… Nico would never…Though he now understood the appeal. Kidnapping required much fewer steps and there was no need for all this exclusive nonsense. You can’t date anyone else if you were kidnapped, could you? No need to have that conversation. Done and done.

“I’m not sure I can do this.” He said after several moments of him staring at the wall, trying to find something – anything in his life that compared to this fear. Perhaps his time with Cupid…but that had somehow been different. That fear was rooted in a refusal to accept. This was…Well, there was nothing to accept because he didn’t _know_. “What if he doesn’t…say yes?” He said and Percy bit his lip.

“I…I think he will say yes, Nico…But if not then you can come over here and eat McDonalds, summon the dead, and I’ll bother you into playing Mythomagic.” He shrugged “Then you can have a crush on someone else.” He added and held up his hands. “I happen to have some highly qualified candidates-”

“No, you don’t.” Nico said, throwing a pillow at him. “Don’t think I don’t know about you and Annabeth _plotting_.” He added bitterly. Percy pouted.

“But Alex said-”

“Alex as in Annabeth’s cousin’s partner?” Nico said, exasperated. “You met a child of the Norse god Loki and asked about being gay?”

“No,” Percy sniffed “And I don’t know if she’s technically gay or not. I’m still getting up to speed on how genderfluid works. Anyways, Alex said it is helpful to be part of a community.” He said with such confidence that Nico would have almost found it sweet if he wasn't so exasperated. He really, _really_ needed to shadow travel and visit Reyna... The only reasonable demigod he had ever known.

“I hate this. I don’t have friends, Percy.”

“That’s what I said you’d say! But then I thought maybe you just don’t want to be friends with straight people-”

“How did we get here?” Nico asked “I’m going to kill you.”

“That’s fine. I’ll just talk to your dad about this instead.” He said smugly and honestly…How did Nico _ever_ like him?

* * *

Music festivals were awful.

Yet…Here Nico was. He hadn’t told Will where they were going. He wanted to argue it was a surprise, but what actually happened was he panicked and said ‘I need to take you somewhere’ and then grabbed Will’s had and shadow traveled.

He wondered if this is perhaps what happened with his father and Persephone. Maybe it was less of a ‘ _I shall steal you so you shall be mine’_ vibe and more of a _‘I wanted to tell this girl I liked her and show her my cool house but now she ate some seeds and is trapped here forever’._

He kind of doubted it, but whatever.

At any rate, Will seemed more pleased than Persephone was so he figured that was a solid win on his part.

“How did you even get _tickets_?” Will gasped, seemingly not realizing that Nico had transported them past security and had definitely not bought any tickets. “This is so awesome! My mom and I used to go to these all the time... I've missed it so much.”

 _And you’re going to act like you love it_ , Percy’s voice echoed in his head. Nico grimaced.

“So awesome,” He agreed and Will’s smile was almost blinding. Huh. Seemed like Percy’s advice wasn’t as useless has he suspected. He knew Percy was smart, obviously...But Nico always took his advice with a bit wariness. “Um...I’ve never been to one of these. How do they work?” He asked cautiously. Will’s mouth popped open for a second, eyes wide before clapping his hands together.

“Right! I totally forgot these weren’t a thing back in the 1940s…” He mused “And I kind of doubt they have music festivals in the underworld…Unless…” He said, trailing off. “Sorry.” He blushed “My train of thought is everywhere right now – okay. So, we go pick a place on the lawn and – oh, look.” He said, dashing to a stand a few feet away. Nico trailed behind him a little warily as he watched Will order two ice creams…Damnit. Nico had forgotten to bring cash.

Luckily, Will didn’t seem to want Nico to pay anyways and handed him a vanilla cone.

This was all very overwhelming and Nico was ninety percent sure he was going to die a tragic death. Still, he accepted the cone and the entire situation as Will led him through the crowds of people. So many people. Gods, there were literally an obnoxious amount of humans that he kind of felt like he was in a more lively Fields of Asphodels. Still, Will was pretty excited about it. Nico didn't even have to do that much talking as he was led around, listening to various songs and what not. It wasn't even that bad until Will went to the bathroom and Bianca sat next to him.

Nico did a double take.

No - it wasn't Bianca, though the resemblance was striking. The longer he looked, the more he realized the woman also resembled a bit of Hazel as well with golden eyes that flickered to blue, like Will's. Nico sighed. There was no point in asking who this was.

"Enjoying yourself?" Aphrodite asked, tilting her head at him. Nico grimaced. Luckily, the goddess didn't seem to want an answer because she just continued clapping enthusiastically as another musician finished up their set. "I'll admit, I haven't been quite as invested in your journey to love as I should have been." She said and Nico very much wanted to tell her that she had already done enough. Too much. Truly. He had it from here.

Nico may be a disaster at this, but he trusted his own instincts more so than _anything_ Aphrodite might have to offer.

"That's okay." He said coolly and looked around. Where was Will? Nico remembered the line to the bathrooms they had seen earlier and inwardly screamed. He might have to wait awhile.

"No," Aphrodite shook her head "It isn't...But I'm here now!" She beamed before her smile faltered. Nico realized she was wearing a crop top and shorts with a flower crown that made her look closer to Piper's age rather than an immortal goddess. She clicked her tongue "I do have some concerns though." She continued. Nico rolled his eyes. No problem. He had some concerns too. "Will is so _sweet_ ," She continued, putting a hand over her heart "Such a smart boy who really does want the best for everyone." She said and Nico shrugged. "You are..." She continued and paused. "Well, you aren't really the romantic type, are you?"

Nico felt his mouth drop.

"You came here to tell me _that_?" He demanded, a little taken aback. Even if he wasn't thrilled that she was here, the _least_ she could do was give him some pointers.

"No - I...Sweetheart. I just _think_ that maybe we should start with a boy who is less...Expressive." She decided and Nico looked at her blankly. "You know, you want to be a good boyfriend, right? Start on an easy level rather than a difficult one."

Nico could not believe he was hearing this right now.

"So...You think I'm not romantic enough to be a good boyfriend to Will?" He asked dryly "So I should try dating someone who _isn't_ romantic?"

Aphrodite clapped her hands together.

"Yes! Exactly!"

"No," Nico said and her smile faltered. "I like Will." He said, trying not to feel stupid as he said it. The goddess' gaze softened a bit. It wasn't the good kind of softened though. It was more of a 'oh, he thinks he knows things' kind of softened that only managed to irritate him more. "And I _can_ be...Super romantic." He added, knowing it was a lie. Aphrodite rose an eyebrow. "Yeah. With...Chocolate." He said and thought a little bit "And, uh...Roses."

"Uh huh." Aphrodite said, sounding unconvinced. "You know, I can set you up with someone from the Ares cabin." She wheedled and placed a hand over her heart again "Those boys can actually surprise you with how sweet they are." She smiled and Nico made a face. It felt a little weird to date someone from the Ares cabin when his sister was dating a son of Mars. Besides, that wasn't the point.

"I think I got this." He grumbled. Another lie, but he felt like he sold it well. Aphrodite gave him a pitying glance, but shrugged at all the same.

"If you say so..." She purred and stood up, dusting the grass off of her "Just remember, I _am_ the love expert here. It would be wise to consider my words." She told him and without giving so much as a goodbye...Vanished.

Nico scowled.

Romantic. Psh. He was romantic. The most romantic.

"Hey!" Will called as he skipped back over with a couple of drinks in his hand "Look what I found," He greeted, handing Nico a drink. "I hope I didn't miss anyth - hi." He interrupted himself when Nico grabbed his hand. "This is good." He added and Nico inwardly let a sigh of relief.

"This is a date." He informed Will, remembering Percy's last bit of advice. Will raised his eyebrows, but nodded. There. Nico had done it. Well...Almost. He looked down at their intertwined fingers before looking back at Will. He was about five seconds from chickening out until he remembered Aphrodite. Immediately, his nerves hardened. "Can you not date other people?" He said, probably a little loudly seeing as Will jumped.

"What?" He asked, spinning back towards Nico with wide eyes.

"Um," He spluttered, knowing he must sound like a total _idiot_ , but there was no way he was backing down now. "I was thinking... _I_ wouldn't date other people if _you_ didn't date other people." He said. Will blinked at him.

"You're... Dating other people?"

"That...I - We're not discussing that right now." Nico floundered and Will tilted his head at him before nodding.

"So...Like boyfriends?"

"No! Well, yes. But with a different word."

Will stared.

"Okay...So we're dating and I'm not dating other people and you're not dating other people." He reiterated and Nico nodded "But we're aren't going to use the word boyfriend?" He clarified. Nico nodded again. "Hmm...Okay. You're my baeu then." He said and Nico choked on the drink Will handed him.

"Your _what_?" He said, but Will was too busy laughing at him to give an answer. Instead he squeezed Nico's hand tighter and Nico at least had the satisfaction of knowing he had not only completed his quest - but was one step closer to making Aphrodite eat her words. He was going to be the best baeu _ever_.


	2. Step 2: How to Get an Appropriate Token of Affection

Reyna was in the middle of decapitating someone when he walked in.

Okay, maybe not decapitating exactly...but it looked pretty close with her javelin pointed directly at a camper's neck and dogs growling lowly on either side of her. A few watchers murmured, slowly backing away. Nico couldn't blame them. It was a terrifying sight to see. Especially given that Reyna was in her usual praetor outfit which just amped up her usual level of 'don't fuck with me' vibe that she tended to have. 

"...any other questions?" She asked, jutting out her chin. Her eyes were sparkling - a dull fire that served as a warning if the right answer wasn't given. The boy in question swallowed at the end of weapon before shaking his head. Reyna's expression cleared and she lowered the javelin. "Very well then. On your way." She said with a jerk of her head and the boy scrambled towards where the others were watching, eyes not leaving Reyna as he did so.

"What did he do?" Nico asked. Reyna didn't seem surprised by his sudden approach - a few others jumped - but she only patted Aurum on the head.

"Annoyed me." She answered though Nico got the feeling it was a lot more than that. He opened his mouth to ask, but paused when Reyna's brows came together in confusion. "You seem..." She paused for a moment to find the words only to give up "Awake."

"I didn't shadow travel here." He sighed and held out paper stubs from his pockets "Took a train."

"You...Did?" She asked, taking a few steps forward to look him up and down. "That was very responsible of you." She noted. Nico rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. Wasn't my idea." He grumbled and Reyna rose an eyebrow "Will gave them to me as a gift," He explained, trying not to think about how pleased the guy was when he had presented the tickets to Nico a week ago. "He said he knew I couldn't ride in a plane with Zeus and all...Plus with me being from the 1940s he figured I would be more comfortable on a train." He said with a roll of his eyes. He wasn't _wrong_ exactly. Nico and his family had ridden mostly on trains - but Nico got the feeling his boyfriend (ahem, beau) was thinking 1840s more than 1940s. "I think he just wanted to make sure I had no excuse to shadow travel." He added. Reyna tilted her head.

"Will...Hazel mentioned him." She said, a hint of a smile touching her lips. Nico scowled at her and she rose her hands in surrender. "I'm glad to see you're well rested." She said and gestured for him to follow her down the cobblestone road. "How long are you staying?"

"Well, my next train leaves a week so I guess until then." Nico sighed, a little defeated. Reyna tilted her head.

"You sound annoyed."

"I'm not."

"Hm..." Reyna said and led them off of the path towards a large tree in the middle of the court yard. A few fauns were scurrying about, but most didn't pay them any mind as Reyna threw her spear into the ground and jumped up to grab an apple from the tree. She jumped again to get one for Nico. "So...Will." She started and Nico scowled. "Hazel and Frank mentioned some stuff. I'm curious." She shrugged, though he could tell she was hiding a smile.

"I _trusted_ you to not be annoying." He muttered, biting into his apple. He was starting to develop a more regular appetite with his life finally settling into something less chaotic. Reyna rolled her eyes.

"I am _not_ being annoying." She objected "You don't have to tell me."

Ooh...But Nico really wanted to tell her. Not because he was super eager to gossip like a preteen girl, but because Reyna had good advice. He scowled as he tried to think of a better way to approach the topic that didn't make him sound like an idiot. In the end he figured he had been through enough in life and he warranted at _least_ five solid idiot moments without his reputation being damaged.

"We're dating." He said and glared at her for good measure "And I am not doing that great because we went on exactly _one_ official date and freaking Aphrodite showed up to tell me I'm not good at love and then just..." He made sarcastic wave of his hand "And now I'm kind of annoyed." He said. Before Reyna could respond, he kept going "And what's even worse is Will _is_ good at this stuff and it's super annoying. How am I supposed to compete with him? He buys me train tickets. I don't know what kind of things to buy him...I bet when I get back he'll have some sort of disgusting welcome back gift that son of..." He growled, grinding his teeth in anger. Reyna took another bite of her apple, unimpressed.

"What's his last name?" She asked "And his godly lineage?"

"What? Solace. And his dad is Apollo. Why does that-"

" _Apollo_?" Reyna repeated, propping herself up on her elbows "Oh, Nico. Not Apollo." She said in disgust. Nico sighed and looked at her. "Even after all that with Octavian?" She pressed. Nico threw his apple core at her.

"He's not like Octavian. At all." He promised "He's not all that much like his dad either...And we've met." He added. Reyna didn't look completely appeased by this new information, but gestured him to go on. "I need your help. What do I do?" He finally said.

"You're asking me?" She said "Aphrodite told me I wasn't going to find love...Among demigods anyways." She said with a roll of her eyes. "So I'm just waiting to be charmed by some mortal." She added. Nico pursed his lips together at that. Maybe he wasn't one to be so bold (since obviously _he_ knew nothing about love @Aphrodite) but he wasn't sure why Reyna was so sure her love was going to be found in a mortal. Nico had always figured some god would fall in love with her eventually. Hell, maybe even she'd end up as a goddess. If anyone was a worthy candidate it was Reyna. Though admittedly, most of the gods were beneath her if Nico was honest. He couldn't think of a single one he would impressed with as potential boyfriend for his friend.

"Okay," He said, pushing the thoughts to the side "But if you _did_ have someone like that...What would you buy them?"

Reyna considered.

"What weapon does he use? I'm assuming he's an archer?"

"Uh...Yes." Nico said with a nod. Reyna shrugged.

"Arrows?"

"He already _has_ arrows, Reyna." Nico groaned. If Reyna was useless than he wasn't sure what he was going to do. He had to prove himself a worthy...Uh, beau. Reyna hummed as Argentum came by to nuzzle her.

"I don't know what sort of things he has, Nico. I'm sure anything you get him would be fine." She reasoned and Nico's outrage expression laughed. "You really do like him."

"I - No. I mean, yes. Maybe. Definitely." Nico frowned. He was torn between wanting to revert back to what was comfortable and wanting to be super romantic because...Aphrodite sucks. Not that his answer was in anyway successful in being romantic. Inwardly he sighed. Maybe the goddess was right and he wasn't good for Will...

"Tell me more about him." Reyna said, interrupting his thoughts and Nico grimaced. He _hated_ talking about Will...Mainly because it was easy to. Before he could respond there was a glimmer of color before mist formed in the air. It took Nico a moment to realize it was an Iris message. Reyna sat up, face immediately going blank as she waited to see who was on the other end.

"...Nico?" A voice asked. Damnit. It was Will. "Nico!" Will said when the message cleared, revealing a very dirty son of Apollo.

"What happened to you?" He asked, taking in the ruined shirt and hair pointed in literally every direction possible. Will looked down as if just realizing he was a disaster.

"Well... We played capture the flag and lots of people got injured." He said with a grimace, running a hand over his face "Which would have been fine except _some people,"_ he said with a glare over his shoulder "Decided it would be a good idea to surround the injured campers with land minds." He said with a long, patient breath. From behind him Connor Stoll appeared.

"We said we were sorry but...It's the name of the game. Capture the flag is serious business. We couldn't risk you boosting the other team's health bar." He said and waved over Will's shoulder "Hi death breath!" He said before disappearing again. Will pursed his lips.

"You...Didn't step on a land mind, did you?" Nico asked. Will still had all his limbs so probably not, but he figured he should ask just in case he needed to murder the Stoll brothers.

"No, but I had to disarm a bunch. Which I am _not_ qualified for. Leo had to come by to make sure I didn't kill myself." He said with a shudder "And then I actually did set one off and we barely got it away in time before it exploded - thus, the new look." He said, pointing to the mud covered clothes and singed shirt. Nico nodded. "But that isn't why I called. How was the ride there? And - hi Praetor." He added hastily when he made out who was sitting next to Nico. "Um, we haven't met. I'm-"

"Will Solace." Reyna interrupted with a smile "I know. You can just call me Reyna." She said. Will blinked, looking absolutely floored by the greeting before nodding. "Nico was just telling me how bravely you fought in the battle against Gaea." She said. Nico definitely had not, but he wasn't going to say that.

"Oh. Um...Thank you, Reyna. I mainly just yelled at Nico though." He admitted "It was a stressful time." He paused "Sorry, Nico."

"You did more tha-"

"Nico!" Jason's voice called before he also popped into the message "Hi Reyna!" He added, this time with a bit of nervousness. Reyna only waved. Jason looked between Nico and Will for a moment before his eyes seemed to widen a bit in realization. "Oh... So you met Will, huh?" He asked and Nico wondered if he could summon a zombie in New York even if he was in California.

"Yep. Will was just saying hi..." Nico scowled at him.

"Will is _great_ , huh?" Jason asked Reyna, as if trying to silently communicate with her. Will blinked, looking uncertainly between them for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Uh...huh. Reyna. I think Jason is trying to hint that Nico and I are dating." He said, tilting his head at Jason in confusion. "I think Nico already told her." He added to where Jason now looked as if he had been punched in the face. He mouthed a very apologetic 'sorry' to Nico before sliding out of the screen. Nico made a note to terrorize him later. "Anyways...Train ride. I was trying to call about that." He snorted. "How was it?"

"Good." Nico nodded "I didn't realize how far California was. Three days." He said. It had been a struggle to not give up halfway and just shadow travel instead. Will blinked.

"Oh...I didn't think about that." He mused and Nico's senses tingled. Wait. He had said something wrong. "I should have come with you," He said regretfully "It would suck to have nobody to talk to for three days. I'm sorry." He grimaced.

"Wha - No! No, I-"

"Will!" Somebody called "Stop flirting and help me bandage this leg!"

"That's my cue. Nice to meet you Reyna! I'll talk to you later, Nico." He added with a bright smile before turning to whoever had spoken and swiping the message away. Nico sat there - completely shell shocked.

"He seemed nice." Reyna finally said and Nico sprawled out onto the ground with a moan. "You're regretting the train ticket thing, huh?" She asked and he moaned again. "He didn't seem that offended by it, Nico." Another moan. "You realize you have to take the train back, right? Those tickets are really expensive."

Nico screamed. This was _not_ going to plan.

* * *

If he thought Hazel was going to be more of a consolation...He was wrong.

"Train tickets? Oh that is so sweet." She said, putting a hand over her heart as she smiled at a few members of her cohort walking passed. "I really like him."

"That's fantastic," Nico sighed "But I need ideas on what to get _him_. He just gave me present out of the blue. I can't just...Let him." Nico tried to explain. Will might be unaware of this, but they were in a contest...One that Nico _had_ to win. If not...Than Aphrodite might be right and he wasn't actually good enough to date someone like Will - which would really suck because he unfortunately liked Will. "What kind of things do you buy Frank?"

"Nico," Hazel said, turning to him with a small smile playing at her lips "It wasn't out of the blue. He knew you were going to Camp Jupiter and was concerned about you so he got you something that would make the trip safer." She explained. Nico wanted to punch something. That was even _worse._ Damnit. "Just...Think of something he would like."

"You see...I know about that part. I'm having some trouble with the execution though." He told her. Hazel rolled her eyes as she tugged on his hand so she could lead them out towards the Colosseum. He hoped she killed him there.

"I've been practicing," She told him with a gesture to her sword "And let's see...Flowers are always nice. Ooh! You know what would be cute? People used to use all those medicinal herbs. Yarrow, lavender...You can get something like that." She offered. Nico frowned. He was pretty sure people didn't use yarrow or lavender to cure people _now_ unless they were against Westernized medicine...Which, well. Will kind of had his own methods. Still. He wasn't about to shoot down the only idea anybody had so far (aside from arrows. Honestly, Reyna).

"Maybe..." He said doubtfully and grabbed a training sword. He didn't really like to use his sword while sparring with other people. It was all too easy for him to accidentally nick someone and their essence to get sucked away. Not good. Hazel raised her own weapon with a grin.

"Ready?" She asked and before Nico could say yes, she struck. It looked like she really had been practicing. He had to reorient himself a few times to make sure she didn't get too close and disarm him. Luckily for him, her style was almost completely Roman. Throughout the quest against Gaea she had gotten some Greek elements thrown in - probably from spending time with Percy - but not enough for him to call it Greek. Nico was still much more useful with his powers than actual combat but he liked to think he had mixed his Greek and Roman skills over the years. "Maybe you can get him chocolate. Classic."

"Thought of that," Nico said as he ducked under her hit "But it might be too unhealthy for him."

"Come on. He isn't _that_ bad. Besides, everyone loves choco - ah." She interrupted herself to jump away from Nico's sword. He took the opportunity to move in closer, pushing them towards the side of the training grounds. "Write him a poem? He's a son of Apollo." She pointed out. Nico almost dropped his sword.

"I'd rather not do that." He said and went to disarm her. Hazel blocked it.

"Scented candles?"

"Is that expensive enough? He did get me train tickets." Nico pointed out. Hazel lowered her sword for a moment. Nico paused, a little confused by the look in her face as she stared him down, eyes narrowing slightly. "What?" He asked and yelped when she walked over and stomped on his foot. " _Why_?" He demanded, dropping his sword to nurse the wound. He didn't remember Hazel ever being so violent.

"Sorry," She said and while she _did_ look sorry, Nico wasn't about to forgive her. Holding grudges _was_ his fatal flaw after all "I just need you to stop overthinking this."

"There were better ways to point that out..." Nico muttered, letting go of his foot. Hazel gave a meek smile.

"Maybe but you're a bad a listener." She pointed out and sheathed her sword. "Come on, let's get dinner."

Nico scowled, but didn't object as he tossed the training sword aside. Hazel updated him on the drama going on in her life as they went. She apparently was struggling a bit with the centurion thing since certain members of the legion were trying to say the only reason she got the position was through magic.

"Right..." Nico frowned "You were a child of a prophecy and went on two dangerous quests to take down the mother of giants but it was the _magic_ that did it." He drawled out, deeply unimpressed. Hazel shrugged.

"It's fine...Better than anyone saying the only reason I got it is because I'm dating a praetor." She muttered, nose wrinkling a bit in annoyance at the thought. "I heard that a couple times too. Reyna usually sets them straight." She sighed. Nico frowned. He didn't like that people weren't appreciating his sister's worth. Still, he knew interjecting wouldn't do any good...Even if scaring the perpetrators with zombies and visions of their own deaths _did_ sound appealing.

"I could speak to them." He offered anyways. Hazel rolled her eyes, but before she could respond stopped walking. Nico blinked - a little baffled at her sudden stop. It was only when he heard the yelling that he realized she was gaping up at the sky.

"DON'T YOU DARE - _JASON!"_ Will's voice shrieked and Nico could see a few other campers turn just in time to see Jason plummeting down to Earth with Will hanging on him. Despite the initial comment, the son of Apollo was laughing, collapsing to the ground with hysterical wheezing when Jason touched the grass. "Oh my God. That was awesome." Will giggled. Hazel rose her eyebrows.

"I'm not manipulating the mist." She added hastily. Nico felt a flare of annoyance at how quickly the defense came. Who here was accusing her of manipulating the mist so often that it was her first response to Jason dropping Will out of the sky? He made an internal note to talk to Reyna later and destroy them before walking to where Will was catching his breath.

"I am so confused." He said as a way of greeting. Jason jumped, having been in the midst of cleaning of his glasses. Will beamed, eyes bright as he sat up. Nico hadn't really thought about how Will would feel about flying... He remembered his first meeting with Apollo and riding on his chariot. He supposed Will wouldn't mind heights like he did.

"Surprise!" He said with a wave. Jason yawned before glancing at the ground as if he might just take a nap right then and there. Nico stared. "You could at least smile." Will added upon Nico's gawking. He blinked, trying to push away the shock in confusion as Hazel ran up to hug Jason. "He even got a _hug_." Will whispered as if the action was something scandalous.

"What are you doing here?" He asked as Will stood up, brushing grass of his jeans. A few others were gathering around - staring because Romans were _rude_ \- but whatever. "Did Jason fly you from New York to California?" He asked, a little horrified. He had seen Will via Iris message only a handful of hours ago. For Jason to fly across the entire country _that fast_ seemed impossible.

"Not all the way. We rode a pegasus for a little bit, it seemed kind of far so we told him to drop us off halfway. _Then_ we hitched a ride with this nice truck driver and Jason flew us the last few miles." He added, clapping his hand together "We went so _fast_ \- except with the truck driver. He drove kind of slow...but it was nice because he told us about some of the sights-"

"Will, why did you and Jason come to Camp Jupiter?" Nico interrupted "Is there an emergency?" He asked, hand flittering to his sword. Will bit his lip before giving a wry shrug and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Um...No. I just felt kind of bad."

Nico stared.

"About _what?"_ He asked and looked over at Jason and Hazel in hopes for a better explanation. Jason was beaming - arm loosely hung around Hazel's shoulders as she smiled at the grass.

"Well, I didn't think about you being alone on a train for _three days_ and that seemed kind of mean so I figured I could ride back with you!" He said brightly "And I hadn't seen Camp Jupiter either so that seemed fun...Plus Jason said he was heading here anyways."

Nico narrowed his eyes a little at Jason. He definitely was supposed to come here _next_ month, but he figured now wasn't the time to point that out. Besides, he had a much bigger crisis going on at the moment.

"You came here...For me?" He asked, stomach dropping a little. This wasn't good. Not at all. Will nodded.

Gods _damnit_.

"That's so sweet!" Hazel interjected, possibly seeing the look of distress on Nico's face. "I'm sure you'll have fun here. Nico knows Camp Jupiter like the back of his hand." She added. He wanted to nod but he was too busy panicking. What the _Hades?_ He couldn't do this. Nico hadn't had time to find a good gift yet...And now Will came here - probably buying another freaking train ticket - to travel back with Nico to New York in a week. This was a disaster.

"Awesome! Because this place looks very..." Will began, eyes flicking around "Complicated." He decided.

"Who the Pluto are you?" Someone called. It appeared their audience had gotten tired of watching. "He looks Octavian." The person added, which Nico thought was pretty unnecessary since Will looked _nothing_ like Octavian.

"Oh, uh. I am a son of Apollo so-"

" _Apollo."_ The crowed muttered, an irritated roll humming over them. Nico gritted his teeth. Ever since Octavius disgraced Apollo's bloodline the camp hadn't been the kindest to any of his descendants.

"I will carve your hearts out and feed to them to Cerberus." Nico told them all. The ground rumbled under his feet - just to show he would make good on the threat. A few scattered away, but the braver ones only glared back in disapproval. "Try me." He added and immediately they broke eye contact.

"He won't actually..." Will frowned.

"I will." He said and added a glare for good measure whispered "I will..."

"He will." Jason added.

"Probably." Hazel shrugged. Nico gave a bright smile. Will rolled his eyes, but didn't argue. He only walked over to Nico, eyes still wandering over the camp with barely concealed curiosity.

"Sooo...You're my tour guide?" He asked, grinning.

Nico was going to die.

* * *

"She's going to kill me."

"No," Nico snorted "She's not."

Will hummed, looking around suspiciously as if Nico had brought backup to his apparent assassination before leaning in to look inside the room. Reyna was sitting at her desk, reading over a report. Nico was pretty sure she was aware of them standing outside her door, but said nothing.

"...do you think I could take her?"

"No."

"So I just have to _accept my death?"_ He whispered, eyes wide and panicked "I can't die. I haven't even finished puberty yet."

"You - _what?"_ Nico spluttered, immediately caught off guard. Will shrugged.

"Read a science textbook, di Angelo. Puberty lasts between two to five years and usually starts between-"

"Oh my Gods, just say hi to Reyna." Nico groaned, pushing him in. "I promise if she tries to kill you that I'll stop her." He added and at that, Will seemed to relax. He shuffled further into the room before taking a long breath and clearing his throat. Nico had no idea _why_ he was so nervous to meet her. She was a praetor, sure, he didn't seem that scared of _Frank_. Then again, Frank - even while bulky and could easily crush you with his thighs - didn't quite give off the intimidation that the daughter of Bellona did.

"Hi Reyna. We met earlier. I'm Will." He said, looking over his shoulder to make sure Nico was still there. "I figured I should stop by and let you know a random Greek is going to be in your camp for a few days." He added. Reyna glanced up, eyes glittering in a way that made Nico a little nervous.

"Hello Will." She said easily and tilted her head for a moment, studying him closely. Her eyes flickered to Nico and he silently gave her a scowl. "You are most welcomed here." She added, turning back to Will. "I must say it is a bit of a surprise though."

"Yeah...Kind of a last minute decision." Will shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets "I figured I could hang out with Nico this week and learn some more about our Roman allies!" He added with a megawatt smile. Reyna's mouth tugged upward slightly and she looked down to hide what was obviously becoming a smirk.

"Very well," She said and picked up another form to begin filling out "I hope you enjoy your time here." She said and offered a wry smile before jerking her head in an obvious dismissal towards the door. Will's shoulders relaxed slightly and he smiled back before turning towards Nico, eyes clearly relieved. "And Will?" Reyna called back. "I would like us to remain friends...You can manage that, can't you?" She asked.

Nico didn't have to know Reyna very well to notice the threat hiding underneath her tone. He looked around Will, making sure she could see the absolute betrayal on his face as the other boy paused, turning a little whiter.

"Yeah...Absolutely. Jason has already...Yeah." He muttered and Nico frowned at him.

"Jason had already what?" Nico asked as they shut the door to Reyna's office. Will bit his lip, looking pretty much everywhere but him. "Hey. Am I not to be trusted with this information or what?" He asked, poking his arm.

"Don't guilt trip me." Will said, poking him back. "Listen. I didn't want you to get upset. It wasn't a big deal or anything." He began, watching Nico's face carefully. It must have looked annoyed because Will rose his eyebrows in a 'and-you're-already-getting-upset' kind of way. Nico tried his best to clear his expression. "Everyone just knows you...Haven't had it easy ever since...Ever." He decided. "They want to make sure I don't..." He gestured vaguely and Nico felt his face heat up.

"Oh my gods...Will, I am so sorry." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose "I'll make them sto-"

"I'm not actually that bothered by it, Nico." Will interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest "If anything, this proves me right."

"...about what?"

"Remember when you said you had no friends and I told you that was bullshit? And that people wanted to be your friend given the chance? And-"

"Yep." Nico said, raising his hand "Got it."

"And you looked at me like I was an idiot?"

"I said I got it, Will."

"I just want to be sure you're seeing the connection here." Will said with a shrug. Nico rolled his eyes. "And aren't you supposed to be giving me a tour?" He asked, looking around. "What is this magnificent building?" He asked, stopping to look at a marbled staircase with interest. Nico sighed.

"The baths." He said, making a face. He was _not_ a fan Roman baths. They were super weird and...Yeah. No. He'd literally rather shadow travel to find a shower. Will opened his mouth - possibly about to clarify his suspicion but Nico only just nodded.

"Alright, onward then." Will snorted and grabbed his hand. Apparently Will was leading the tour and Nico was just there to tell him what everything was and keep them from getting too lost. It was actually kind of fun to see what kind of things got Will's attention. At one point he had made them walk a solid twenty minutes to see the sunflower field. Yes. The sunflower field. That's what he decided was the highest priority at a camp for Roman demigods...Well, up until he saw the unicorns.

"I'm going to actually die." He said, freezing in his tracks. Nico scoffed.

"I have on solid authority that you are not." He told him and Will peered over his shoulder, fixing Nico with a suspicious look.

"Whose authority?"

"Mine." Nico said and jutted a thumb at his chest "Son of death, remember?"

"How could I forget?" Will asked, tugging at his sleeve "I would pay money to see you in green." He said and it was such a stupid thing to blush at but Nico did because he wasn't good at processing emotions. Luckily, Will didn't dwell too much on that because he was drawn back to the unicorns prancing around the open field near the stables. Will sighed.

"To Hell with being a doctor...I'm going to be a unicorn trainer." He announced. Nico raised his eyebrows. Their hands were still entangled which Nico wasn't sure how to feel about. On one hand, he assumed it was good that Will hadn't let go. On the other hand, he was kind of sweaty and was losing feeling in his fingers...Not that those were reasons to let go. Hell, he was _not_ going to be the one who let go first. No freaking way. Part of him wanted to look up at the sky and hold up their entwined hands to Aphrodite as a silent 'fuck you' but resisted because he didn't think Will deserved to be dragged into his Great Quest...Even if he was inherently involved by default. Still.

"Why the unicorn fascination?" He asked instead because while Will tended to light up around a lot of things it wasn't with quite this much passion. Will hummed, propping his free elbow on the fence that stood between them and the pasture.

"When I was a kid I was _obsessed_. I saw one when I was six and obviously nobody believed me because back then because I was surrounded by mortals. I went on a rampage to prove I wasn't crazy. Endless research. Conspiracy theories. BBC documentaries. The works." He smiled and shrugged "You can imagine how devastated I was to come to Camp Half-Blood and learn that there were no freaking unicorns." He said which such indignation it made Nico smile. Never had he heard such vindication about unicorns of all things. "I knew they were probably a thing somewhere but now..." He took a long breath "I have actual _proof_." He whispered, throwing his arm out towards the group of unicorns. One paused and tilted its head at them like 'hey...what the Hell is this kid doing?' before going back to grazing peacefully.

"The medics here use their horns to heal people." Nico told him and Will's eyes widened.

"I _heard_ about that - through my meticulous research obviously. I actually didn't think much of it though." He mused, tilting his head "Do you know any of the medics here? I would love to get my hands on some and see how it works." He mused, tapping his lip. Nico nodded. Maybe Will coming here wasn't as devastating to his grand plan of romanticism as he thought...After all, he did just get the _perfect_ idea for his gift to Will.

* * *

"Nico I...Just...Why?" Piper asked as Nico tried to wipe the grin off of his face. He did _so_ good. So freaking good. Aphrodite was going to eat her words and Will was going to be so damn romanced. Everything was _glorious_.

"Don't worry about it." He told her. They had just returned from Camp Jupiter a few hours ago. The train ride back had actually been really fun. It was three days with nobody bothering them except the occasional monster and a nosy conductor who thought they had snuck onto the train despite seeing their tickets several times. Mostly it had consisted of many games of Mythomagic and various conversations about their lives and opinions on TV shows (Will swore on his soul that he was going to get Nico culturally literate if it was the last thing he ever did).

"I'm kind of worrying about it though. Reyna agreed to this?"

Reyna had actually _not_ agreed to this. Mainly because Reyna hadn't been asked...but he had left a note explaining what had happened and why before he left. He was fully expecting an Iris message from her later. Still. Piper didn't need to know that.

"Yes. Yes she did." Nico lied and grabbed her arm "Now go away, I need to show Will." He said, pushing her away. Piper looked like she might object so he conjured some zombies to continue pushing her towards her cabin as she yelled out a string of curses that he couldn't make out as she got further away.

"What was that about?" Will's voice asked. Nico spun around, a little alarmed at how quietly he had been able to sneak up on him. Maybe he was getting out of practice - or too easily distracted. "Did Piper piss you off?" He asked, sounding a little surprised.

"Nah, I just needed her to go away." He said and grabbed Will's hand impatiently "Come on. Also...Um. Don't tell Chiron what you're about to see. I want Reyna to tell him." He added hastily. Sure, Reyna might be a little mad but she almost always forgave him rather quickly and would definitely convince Chiron not to be upset over the whole thing once he realized what Nico had done. It was all in the name of spiting Aphrodite...And Will. Not spiting him but making sure he got cool things because if anybody deserved cool things it was Will.

"Oh gods...What did you do, doom-and-gloom?" Will asked, though he didn't sound too stressed. Another nice thing about Will: If it didn't detriment your health he generally didn't care. "You didn't steal a bunch of unicorn horns for me, did you? The medics at Camp Jupiter were nice enough to give me samples." He added, glowing a bit at the reminder. Nico scoffed.

"Even better."

"Even - what?" Will asked, but went silent when Nico pointed to where the pegasus stables were. "...you didn't."

Nico grinned.

"You _stole_ a unicorn?" Will demanded looking torn between horrified and downright ecstatic.

"I actually stole two," Nico told him "I figured it was only fair. They had four and since we didn't have any..." He gestured to where the unicorns were all looking around, exploring their new home "We should get two of them. I left Reyna a note saying you'd look after them and stuff...I also took one of the medics books explaining how to make unicorn drought for your medicine stuff." He added. Will gaped at him.

"I...It isn't even my birthday or anything." He said, counting on his fingers for a moment as if to make sure he hadn't forgotten the date. "What's the occasion?"

"You got me train tickets."

"So you got me _unicorns_ _?"_ Will choked "Way to set the standards high..." He mused and before Nico could even think of reacting, kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, death boy." He beamed. Nico didn't respond. He was too busy trying not to combust. "Wait...How did you even get them here?" He asked and Nico's heart went from fluttering to flat-lining within three seconds. "Nico?"

He turned away.

"...Nico. Tell me you didn't shadow travel them here." Will's voice followed and Nico walked faster "Are you _kidding me?_ Nico! That means you shadow traveled four times altogether - are you insane? That was so dangerous! _Nico!"_

"I'll see you at dinner." He called, ducking into the strawberry fields.

"Get to the infirmary!"

"BYE!"

"YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DIE IN ORDER TO GET ME UNICORNS, DAMNIT!"

"I'M GLAD YOU LIKE THEM!"

Nico ended up going to the infirmary with a very annoyed Will thirty minutes later but he regretted nothing.

At this rate he was going to definitely marry this guy and make sure Aphrodite was the only person who didn't get a wedding invitation.


End file.
